Name: This spring roast chicken recipe will have everyone coming back for seconds
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 135 min
Total time: 170 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2.1 kg whole chicken; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 3 cloves garlic, crushed; Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season; 1kg baby chat potatoes; 1 lemon, cut into wedges, plus extra to serve; 300g green beans, trimmed; 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed; 6 green onions, trimmed; Whipped chilli feta; 200g Danish feta, crumbled; 1/2 cup Greek-style yoghurt; 1/4 teaspoon dried chilli flakes; Dill and pistachio dressing; 3/4 cup dill sprigs, plus extra to serve; 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves; 1/3 cup pistachio kernels, toasted; 1 clove garlic, quartered; 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup red wine vinegar; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

You may think a roast is only for cold winter evenings, but this new spring roast chicken recipe is here to prove you wrong. With a lemony seasoning, whipped feta dipping sauce and green dill and pistachio dressing, this makes for the ideal light dinner during warm weather.

Add on your usual roast potatoes side, but keep it fresh and zingy with seasonal asparagus and green beans. It’s a recipe that the whole family will love (and devour in minutes!).

Ingredients

2.1 kg whole chicken

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, crushed

Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season

1kg baby chat potatoes

1 lemon, cut into wedges, plus extra to serve

300g green beans, trimmed

2 bunches asparagus, trimmed

6 green onions, trimmed

Whipped chilli feta

200g Danish feta, crumbled

1/2 cup Greek-style yoghurt

1/4 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

Dill and pistachio dressing

3/4 cup dill sprigs, plus extra to serve

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

1/3 cup pistachio kernels, toasted

1 clove garlic, quartered

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Method

Step 1

Pat chicken dry with paper towel, including cavity. Place in a large baking dish. Combine 2 tablespoons of the oil with lemon juice and garlic in a small jug. Pour over chicken in dish, including in cavity. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, if time permits.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 190°C/170°C fan-forced. Season chicken. Tie up legs with unwaxed kitchen string to secure. Add 2 cups water to baking dish. Roast for 1 hour.

Step 3

Meanwhile, for whipped chilli feta, place feta and yoghurt in a small food processor. Blend until smooth. Stir in chilli flakes and season with pepper. Refrigerate until required.

Step 4

For the dill and pistachio dressing, blend dill, parsley, pistachios and garlic in a small food processor until finely chopped. Add oil, vinegar and mustard and blend to combine.

Step 5

Arrange potatoes and lemon wedges around chicken in baking dish. Drizzle potatoes with remaining oil and season. Roast for a further 1 hour, turning potatoes and lemon halfway through. Cover chicken with foil if over-browning during cooking.

Step 6

Transfer chicken to a plate. Cover loosely with foil and set aside to rest. Add beans, asparagus and green onion to potatoes, tossing to coat in pan juices. Roast for a further 10–15 minutes, until potatoes are golden and vegetables are tender.

spring roast chicken recipe with roast chicken on tray, beans underneath and bowl of roast potatoes on the side. whipped feta in dish being served with hands on the top right — (Photography: Tim Roberts and Jeremy Simons, Styling: Michele Cranston)

Senior food editor Sarah Murphy Senior food editor

Sarah is the Senior Food Editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine and oversees all food content, creating and developing achievable recipes for readers that still excite and impress. Sarah has worked on cookbooks and leading Australian food magazines for more than 15 years, including The Australian Women’s Weekly Food, Super Food Ideas, Woman’s Day and delicious. She holds a Bachelor of Communications (Advertising and Public Relations) from Western Sydney University.

Recipe Developer Kim Coverdale Recipe Developer

Kim Coverdale is a recipe developer and food writer with more than 25 years of experience in Australian food publishing. Trained at the Australian Women's Weekly Test Kitchen — one of Australia's most trusted homes of recipe development — Kim has spent her career creating, testing, and perfecting recipes for some of the country's leading food titles. Every recipe she develops is rigorously tested to ensure it works reliably in home kitchens, not just professional ones.

Instagram